West Ham United have now been told how much it will cost to sign one of Julen Lopetegui’s key targets this summer.
It’s believed that Lopetegui has told Tim Steidten to prioritise the signing of a central defender, a right-back and a forward this summer.
And after securing a deal for Luis Guilherme, Lopetegui has asked West Ham to make up to eight signings before the season begins, believing this current squad isn’t big enough.
Of course, there are also players who could leave West Ham this summer, important ones too.
Nayef Aguerd has been consistently linked with a move away, with Atletico Madrid persisting with their interest in the defender.
Moreover, club captain Kurt Zouma faces an uncertain West Ham future too, two players who were once David Moyes’ strongest combo.
Of course, if the club do sell the duo they will desperately need reinforcements, profiles better suited to Lopetegui’s demands.
A deal for Flamengo defender Fabricio Bruno has seemingly fallen through, meaning West Ham will look elsewhere.
And it seems that all roads have led to Wovlerhampton Wanderers captain Max Kilman.
Wolves would find it hard to reject a £45m bid from West Ham for Max Kilman
Lopetegui worked with Kilman at Wolves and would reportedly now like to bring the 27-year-old to east London.
That being said, journalist Ben Jacobs has now provided some clarity on the situation on X.
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Sharing that Wolves rejected a £30m bid from Napoli for Kilman, the journalist said that the club are not actively looking to sell but would likely accept a bid of £45m.
Jacobs explained: “Wolves are not actively looking to sell Max Kilman, but if an offer arrives at £45m it’s understood it would be tough to turn down.
“West Ham considering a bid. Napoli have already had a £30m offer rejected.
“Wolves paid just £40k for Kilman from Maidenhead United in 2018 so if he does depart, the club would make a significant profit.”
The price tag mentioned would be steep for West Ham, but if they do recoup significant fees for both Aguerd and Zouma then it could make sense.
Although, given Kilman’s age, the centre-back is unlikely to retain much sell-on value for the club once he’s completed any contract.
But either way, signing the ‘outstanding’ defender would be a win for Lopetegui’s new project, which is showing clear direction.
All that being said, David Moyes has just admitted that Declan Rice actually did something which hurt West Ham before he joined Arsenal.